Annular ball-bearing



H. HESS. 'ANNULAR BALL BEARING.

9 i921. 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

iii!

Fmi?? H. HESS. AMNULAH BALL BEAmNG. PPPPPPPPPPPPPP LED )ULY 7 1920` vRrntef Mar. 8, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNIIED STAT f ilfiinaj z ifo' conce/m.' 213e "it known-'that I.,

` delphia, in the county- 'of State of Pennsylvania, ta in new and useful EYSILPATENT o inficr.,A

"` narrar. nnss? PHILADELPHIA.; rmmsravamn M HNRY Hass, a citizen offthe United-'.-States, residing at Philahave invented cer- Improvements in Annular'BallIBearin'gs, of which the following is-'a :speei'ic'ation.I

The principal object ol the present invention is-'to provide a selAcon-tained annular ball bearing of .wh'icli can be assembled with a full row of `balls, without radial movement of the balls,

i and by arelative llateral movement of the races*inlconcentric'relation with respect to the axis of the bearing, `and in which the racesfare curved inc'ross-section on each side ci' the center line of -the bearing passing through' any ball 4normally to the axis of the bearing, andi'n which the annular space between the lracesis narrower than a ball diamleter yand may be practically zero.

" The invention will be claimed at the end 'i hereof but will be' firs-t described in connection with the embodiments of it chosen from sake of illustration inthe accompanying drawings, form- ,ligure 1, is e.V cross-sectional view taken ihren? the two races and showing the balls .in un oaded position and included in the vsmallest tangential circle.

` Fig. 2,-is a similar view showing the balls in loaded position and included in a larger tangential circle.

Fig. 3, is a view similar to Fig. l, of a modification -and'showing the balls in unloaded position :and included in the largest tangential circle.

Fig. 4, is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing `theV balls inl loaded position and in a smaller circle. Figs. 5 and 6, are views showing a guard plate which is just clear of frictional contact and retains the balls in practically the load sustaining position of Figs. 2 and 4, and

Fig. 7, is a sideview of acomplete bearing, partly in section on the line- 7-7 0 Fig. l, 4but drawn to a reduced scale.

ln the drawings the number of balls l, employed is such as to forma nearly lull circle of balls in the bearing. Each of the two uninterrupted annular raceways and 3, is curved in cross section on both 'sides of a center line, as aaxpassing Philadelphia andv `maximum carrying capacity 'are in unloaded position.

'l rial so long as a through any Barbiana/ning Specification of Letters Patent. i Patentgd 48 applicatie; :nea truly 7, i920. seriai ne. 394,578. Y

balliormally or i'ierpendicularly to 'the axis The annular space 4, be-v is bounded toward the periphery ot" the bearing by a -circlerorrespondingwith or slightly smaller than the smallest tangential circle that includes the balls, and when ineluded in that circle the balls arefat the bottom of the curve of the cross section of the race way 2, as shown in Fig. l, and the balls- The line w, is applied in Fig. l, to illustrate this and to show that when the pitch circle of the balls is as small as the lowest part of the groove of the inner raceway permits, the annular assembly space yis bounded 'at the louter raceway Aby a circle concentric with a circle tangential to the balls in that position and of the same or slightly -smaller dia-meter. diameter of 'the circle which bounds the' annular space at the' inner racewa'y isnot-mate# landis provided that will make the annular space materially narrower than a ball diameter.

In Figs. 3 and'l, theannular space is" bounded at the inner raceway bya circle or" the same diameter as a circle tangent to the balls, near the inner raceway, whenthe balls are in the-liighestpart of the groove in the outer raceWay 'and this is indicated by the line m appliedto those figures," and in this case lthe bounding Ithe annular space ait the outer raceway is not material so long as a land is providedrtliat will make the annular space materially narrower than a ball diameter. lt may be said that the construction of Figs.

l and 2, and Figs. 3 and 4l, are merely re'- versals'or' each other. In the case ol either Figs. l or 3, in which the balls are 'in ex.v

treme radial position, e. arranged in the smallest pitch circle, Fig. l, or largest pitch circle, Fig. 3, permitted by the low part of the groove in the inner raceway, Fig. l, or in the outer raceway, Fig. 3, the bearing can be assembled or disassembled by first positioning the balls in suchextreme radial position and 'hen bringing 4the raceways into confront position by moving them diameter 'of the circlev The relatively sidevv'ise While concentric with the axis of the bearing. VVlhen loaded the horizontal thrust 0r. vertical load gives a resultant load along a-z, which causes the balls to occupy a pitch-circle intermediate of "-tlieextreme pitch circles, Figs. 2 and 4:, and therefore the circle tangent yto the balls is larger than thejcircle bounding the annular assemblyspace 4, so that the balls cannot escape from the raceways.

The true circular form can be departed from, by leavingprojections, 'as at y, Fig. 7 in the annular space between the walls of .which the ballsmay pass to place. 6, is a guard vlate .which positively prevents dis'- assemb y of the bearing even when lunloaded and it is not 'intended to play any special part `when the bearing is loa-ded, although it may be just short of rictional contact with the ballse When the bearing is not loaded, it may serve to keep the balls from assuming the positions shown in Figs.

A l and ,3.

I an number of ballsf up to a substantially fu l circle of balls andin which each ot' the two raceways 1s curved 1n cross section on -both sides of a center line` pa`ssing`through any ball normally lto the axis of the bearing and in which the ann'ular assembly vspace between the lands of the races is bounded by -a circle tangent or nearly tangent t'balls in* extreme radial position in respectto the axis of the bearing, whereby assembly is effected by'movement of 'one race'over the balls, substantially as described.

2. An annular ball bearing 'comprising inner and outer uninterrupted rac'eways eachcurved in cross-section on both sides of acenter line passing through any ball normally to the axis of the bearing, and a number of balls up to a substantially full circle of ballsl introdu'cible'when inextreme radial position in respectl'to the axis of the bearing between the races through space provided between thel races and bounded by a circle commensurate with' ascircle. tangent' g or nearly tangent to the balls when vin such extreme radial position and not passable through said space when in other radial positions corresponding to load.

An annular ball bearing comprising inv combination inner and outer rings hav-v ing opposed continuous grooved raceway's,

.and a-circle of balls in the'groo'ved raceways andadapted to occupy extreme radial Vpositions therein corresponding lto load and no load, the land of one of said raceways being adapted to pass over the vballs assembled in the other raceway under no load and not under load, substantially as'described.

a. An annular ball bearing contaiining any .number of balls up to a substantiallyv full circle of balls and in which each of the two raceways is curved in cross section onV both sides of a'center line-passing through any -ball normally to the axis of the bearing and in which the annular assembly space between the lands of the races is materially narrower than a ball diameter and in which one land is 'spaced in respect to the opposite raceway to pass the balls in Aunloadedposition only. Y i

5. AnI annular ball bearing containing any number of balls up to a'substantially full circle of balls and in which each of the two .raceways is curved in cross section on bothvsides of a center'line passing through any ball normally to the axis of the bearing and in which the annularassembly space be'-4 tween tlie lands of the races .is materially narrower than a ball diameter and in which vone land is spaced in respect to the opposite raceway to pass the ballsvin unloaded position only and which isprovjided with a guard plate attached to *one ol' the races,A

substantially as described.

HENRY HESS. 

